Blackpool tourism bosses oppose festival amid disorder fears

Tourism bosses are opposing plans for a dance music festival at a seaside town amid fears it could become "uncontrollable".

Blackpool's PierJam Festival was postponed earlier this month, with a licence yet to be approved.

Leisure giant Merlin, the Beach House restaurant and the Tourism Business Improvement District warned that some 10,000 punters would be "unmanageable".

A further council hearing is due to go ahead on 2 May.

The dance music event was due to take place on 29 April but organisers announced on 14 April it had been postponed due to "circumstances beyond our control", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The annual festival, held on the town's Promenade, had headline acts including Example and Andy C planned to play.

Documents submitted to Blackpool Council on behalf of Merlin, the Tourism BID and the Beach House, said the crowds of people attending the event would be problematic in an area popular with families with young children.

The submission said: "The visual impact of such large groups can itself be a worry for young families already visiting attractions in the area."

It adds that people attending Pier Jam "will likely already be intoxicated" while "the music style on offer is synonymous with illegal drug use".

It is also feared "the sheer volume of customers involved takes what would normally be manageable risks to a level that we believe will be uncontrollable".

VW Music Ltd had applied to the council for a new premises licence for the annual electronic music event, seeking a maximum capacity of 9,999.

The application requested permission for live and recorded music and the serving of alcohol outdoors on a Saturday between 11:00 and 23:00.

VW Music said admission would be by ticket only with appropriate security measures in place including gates, barriers, CCTV and security staff at a ratio of one per 100 people.

The application continued that there would be a manned control room, and a search policy "to deter the carrying of drugs or weapons".

It added: "Regular patrolling by the event stewards shall take place at all time the site is providing alcohol to ensure all incidents of crime and disorder, drunkenness and anti-social behaviour are prevented and appropriately dealt with."

CORRECTION - 21 April 2023: The original version of this story incorrectly stated the festival's site as the North Pier

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